This invention relates to operating cranks for vehicles and more particularly to such a crank having a molded plastic one piece handle and rotatable knob.
Operating cranks for vehicles such as window regulator cranks, generally include a handle having a first end secured to a driven device and a second or knob end to which a knob is rotatably attached. When mounted to the vehicle, one side of the handle is visible while the other side is non-visible and faces the body. It is desirable that the handle be easily molded in a conventional male-female mold with fixed mold inserts and that no parting lines be visible on the one side of the handle. It is also desirable that the knob be easily assembled to the handle and that it rotate relative to the handle without excessive wobble or friction.
Various operating cranks for vehicles exist in the prior art. Herr et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,071,023 shows several embodiments of crank arms of non-plastic construction and various types of rotatable knobs which are secured to an end of the handle by different types of separate pin arrangements. Blanton U.S. Pat. No. 2,978,927 and Yamaziki et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,768 both show a metal handle and a plastic knob secured to on end of the handle.